Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes w/Strawberry Frosting

My niece, Jasmin, left for college far away, and before she left I promised to make her anything she wanted, well it’s more like I gave her 3 choices, but still.

As I sit back and reminisce about Jasmin, I feel like 18 years just flew by. I was just a teenager when she was born. She brought so much joy and happiness into my life. I showered her with an inexplicable amount of love and affection. Somehow just holding her made me feel like everything was going to be okay. My love for her was unconditional, and still is.

Growing up in the same household as Jasmin for the first nine years of her life, I always felt like less of an aunt, and more that of an older sister to her. I was the wise one always lecturing her on the dos and don’ts of life, whether or not she was paying attention, I’d like to think she gained a little something from our talks. As the years went by the tables turned, this beautiful, smart, confident young lady now gives me advice on life and sometimes I feel as though she’s the older one, the more wiser one. Funny how that happens.

So Jasmin… although you may be wiser than me in certain aspects of life, I will never stop giving you advice on life. I hope and wish nothing but the best for you. I hope you continue to be a good human being and better yourself with each passing year. I hope you continue to work hard and strive for success in whatever you do. I hope you will make the right choices in life now that you have total freedom (hooray), but remember with freedom comes responsibility. Although you are 6 hours away from all of us, know that we are ALL here for you. Love you, Nishiqua!

And now cupcakes! Beverly Hills famed Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes have been on my list for quite some time. The overall effort was about 3 hours, but the results are well worth it.

The cake portion of this recipe was perfect and not too sweet, however the frosting was a bit too sweet for my liking, but many others loved the extra sweetness. Having said that, the frosting perfectly balances out the sweetness in these cupcakes, but regardless I will cut down on the sugar amount in the frosting next time I bake these.

Everyone loved these cupcakes, even my very picky brother who said, “this may be the one of the best desserts you ever made.” And then I said, “that’s cause they are full fat.” And then he said, “uhhhh, it’s dessert, maybe you should stick to baking full fat.” Yeah, not gonna happen!

So although it feels like fall, but summer is not officially up, make these today while the strawberries are still ripe, sweet, and available!

NUTRITION:Strawberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C. They are also a great source of Antioxidants, Folic Acid, and Fiber. Aside from that, these cupcakes are high in saturated fat and offer no real nutrition, hence eat them in moderation.

9. Add half the flour mixture to the batter. Mix until well combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.

10. Add the milk/strawberry mixture. Mix until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.

11. Add the remaining flour. Mix until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.

12. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop out the batter into the cupcake liners.

13. Bake for 22-25 minutes until top is dry. I baked mine for 24 minutes.

14. Perfect!

Frosting15. Cream the butter.

16. Add Confectioners’ Sugar and vanilla extract. Blend for a minute until well combined.

17. Add the puree, but FOLD THE PUREE INTO THE FROSTING else your frosting sort of deflates.

18. YUM! Notice how the frosting deflates a bit. Also, this amount is enough to frost 24 cupcakes.

19. Once cooled, frost and enjoy!

OVERALL: 5 / 5Flavor: DeliciousMoistness: PerfectTexture: Light & Airy. Quite a few folks complained about the texture being too dense and muffin-like, the key to keeping these cupcakes light & airy is to avoid over-mixing the batter once the flour is added. Just mix the batter until well combined.Frosting: Light & Sweet. The frosting was a tad bit sweet, I recommend cutting out an additional 1/2 cup of Confectioners’ Sugar.Very Highly Recommended.

Question: Do you have nieces/nephews/children who left home for college? What was your experience like?

I do not know why every one says do not over mix. Ina also says that. Since you have mentioned in bold letters, would like to know the reason. Have you ever overmixed the cake batter? How was the end results? Just curious.

Cos my mother always do overmix – and the cakes turn out to be extra extra soft, light and tasty. Her butter cakes are the best. Even for chocolate cakes, etc, she uses butter and overmix as usual. She also believed overmixing is bad. But I found overmixed batter cakes were tastier than the other one.

No matter what cake she makes. She sticks to 1 kg butter, 1 kg sugar (less if she is using fruits), 1 kg flour, 20 eggs. Hope you did not faint to see the ingredients. Haha. She beats egg whites and yolk separately and never in her life used baking powder (I know, unbelievable) whenever she bakes cakes / cookies.

Since those cakes were baked in charcoal ovens, I love to eat them hot hot. Sometimes I eat the entire top layer as they can be nicely rolled and removed. Mom had to cover it with frostings 😛 Never tasted such tasty cakes. I always nag her to overmix, so I can eat the raw batter. It is yum. 😀

@Anonymous – LOL. Your comment made me smile. I believe in the past I have overmixed the batter and the results were usually tough. Nowadays I generally mix the batter just until everything is well combined. I cannot tell you why your mom's cakes turned out extra extra soft, perhaps it doesn't make much of a difference if you overmix the batter when using lots of butter. Butter makes everything taste amazing. OMG – 20 eggs. 🙂 Thanks for your nice comment, I will keep posting more regularly, I'm leaning in slowly. Lots of good stuff coming. 🙂

Strawberry Cupcakes are a new favorite of mine. Thanks Nina.. glad I'm back too. Ohhh.. I think I'm so much luckier than Jasmin. And trust me, no one bakes me yummy stuff either… I indulge in my own homemade baked goods. 🙂

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A foodie passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, cooking, reviewing restaurants, traveling, and exploring various facets of New York City where I can enjoy a variety of cuisines and learn about different cultures. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, travel and New York City!